The state rights democrat. [volume] (Albany, Linn County, Oregon) 1865-1900, 1887-11-04
THE GOBLIN MOTH

MIR, McDufiie, OF this city, has handed
us the following article taken from Cal
ifornia paper on the subject OF the Goblin
moth, which will be of much interest to
our orehardlsts. Mr. McDuilie has writ
ten to California to obtain some OF the
seed OF this plant, and II Ii can be had il
will be placed In ths hands of some care
full, prudential farmers to test II
"AIr. Herbert Gardner has contributed
TO the Sonoma County Fair and Grape
Growers Association, information con.
cerning the discovery of supposed rem.
edy for the codln moth, that II the results
correspond in any great degree With the
claims made for II, will prove Of valuable
interest TO the fruit industry Of this state,
The discovery was originally made by a.
w. Moskell,a New Zealand entoluologisi
who communicated the facts 10 Mr.. Gard.
ner, which are reported In she Sonetua
Demayaf a. follows The remedy, OF
rather the care, takes shape IN the form
OF an African plant which entrapa and
holds fast the insect Mr.. Moakei says !:
II have lately been able to procure some
interesting information as to this plant
from Captain Loekett of wangsTin, who
has grown It, and from whom have come
the specimens have seen. The plant Il
. native of, or at least has como from, the
cape Of Good Hope. +. Kirk informs me
that Il probably Is one OF the Asdepiada.
Captain Lockctt describes II as 'creeper,'
but says that II grows freely In hedge,
and that he has fence about chain long
OF Il II viii grow very fast making some.
times foot Ia length after shower of
rain, and II given some trellis work 10
Climb on. will IN year or two make a
good, thick, strong fence. Apparently II
should NOT BE overshadowed hy other
plants ,and should be regularly trimmed 30
a. to prevent weak growths II can be
grown easily from seed. The ground
should be dry and cleaned the seed l.
sprinkled along the line and lightly Gov.
cred with coll Captain Loekcss's land Il,
he tells me, light The plant wlil aower
freely and bears number Of large green
pods a. large as goose egg Each pod i
full OF seeds. The feature 81 this plant Is
that every fower, or nearly so.eatehes and
kills iis moth on Captain Loekctl's place,
he says, thousands of moths arc captured
daily and his fowls get on the hedge and
clean them away" The mode Of desiruc.
ton Is. 40 FAR as my observations 60, not
by poison,b but BY mechanical action. The
moth, attracted By the perfume Of ;.,e Aow.
er, (Which !. strong aud like that OF
hyacinth, ,)settlcs on IL and pushes its pro.
boscis down TO suck the honey. The pro.
boscis comes a. once in contact with one
OF i've small organs attached apparently
to the s,amens OF the fiower This organ
is double and plncer like,and Immediately
niPs fast the moths tongue. and the moth
can never escape, Whether, In addition,
some poison j. taken up and kills the
moth ] cannot say, a. all my specimens
have been dead some time But each.
flower, In box gisen 10 me by ]. Tiniine
0perhaps sixty OF seven,y.) held its moth
fast imprisoned by the tongue. as above
described. Mr.. Gardner kindly Offers TO
furnish, gratis, seeds to those dcsirous Of
giving them a irial,and wil add ans other
information Ia his power"